A celebration of poetry for the National Year of Reading 2012

Christmas where the gum trees grow by Lesley Sabogal

Christmas where the gum trees grow, there is no frost and there is no snow,
Christmas in Australia’s hot,
cold and frosty’s what it’s not,
when the bloom of the jacaranda tree is here,
Christmas time is near.

From England came our Christmas fare,
they even said what Santa should wear,
But here down under for summer’s cool,
Santa should dip in a swimming pool.

Christmas where the gumtrees grow,
there is no frost and there is no snow,
Christmas in Australia’s hot,
cold and frosty’s what it’s not,
when the bloom of the jacaranda tree is here,
Christmas time is near.

Santa rides in a sleigh on snow,
but down here where the gumtrees grow,
Santa should wear some water skis,
and glide around Australia with ease.

Christmas where the gumtrees grow,
there is no frost and there is no snow,
Christmas in Australia’s hot,
cold and frosty’s what it’s not,
when the bloom of the jacaranda tree is here,
Christmas time is near.

To ride around the bush where it’s dry,
to cart all the presents piled so high,
a red nosed reindeer would never do,
Santa should jump on a kangaroo.

Christmas where the gumtrees grow,
there is no frost and there is no snow,
Christmas in Australia’s hot,
cold and frosty’s what it’s not,
when the bloom of the jacaranda tree is here,
Christmas time is near.